Monday of the
Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Amos 2:6-10.13-16; Matthew 8:18-22)
Pope Francis has raised eyebrows around the world by
speaking against the idolatry of money.
He finds the contemporary situation of a privileged few growing richer “exponentially”
while leaving ever farther behind the poor as intolerable. He sounds much like the prophet Amos in the
first reading today.
Amos is preaching in the wealthy Northern Kingdom of
Israel. Although money abounds, so do
the poor and injustice. God gave the
people the law to promote both prosperity and community. But some ignore it in the pursuit of riches. Their greed results in squalor amidst luxury
and widespread scandal.
We must ask ourselves about our disposition toward
wealth. Is becoming rich our ambition? Following Jesus, we will be moving in another
direction. The one “with nowhere to rest
his head” will show us that the joy of his company outpaces the possession of
gold.
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